Apparatus for transferring can lids through a partition subject to a pressure differential

ABSTRACT

In a canning method where cans are filled with a product and a lid sealed thereto in an enclosure in which the pressure inside the enclosure is different from pressure outside, a mechanism is provided for feeding can lids one at a time from a magazine outside the enclosure to the magazine of a can lid-applying machine inside the enclosure wherein an endless chain removes the lids from the bottom of a magazine outside the holder, carries them around a looped guide, one after another, and drops them alternately into one of two pockets in an oscillating pressure lock, one of which pockets is open only at the top to receive a can lid when the other has moved to a position where it is open only at the bottom to discharge a lid into a gravity chute that passes through the enclosure wall to the magazine of the can lidapplying machine inside the enclosure. The trap then oscillates to open the now-empty pocket at the top to receive a lid and close the other pocket at the top and open it at the bottom to discharge the lid which it received. The lid-feeding mechanism is driven from the can lid-applying machine inside the enclosure through a shaft that passes to the outside, with a clutch outside that feeds the lids only as required by the machine, and the oscillating pressure lock is synchronized with the operation of the endless chain.

United stateS Patent [151 3,674,160 Gutowski 1 July 4, 1972 [54]APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING CAN [57] ABSTRACT LIDS THROUGH A PARTITIONSUBJECT TO A PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL Chester L. Gutowski, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Assignee: H. J. Heinz Company, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Filed: April 8, 1971 AWLNQA 132,509

lnventor:

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 6/1959 Nogle ..221/10 7/1966Fitzgerald ..2l4/17B Primary ExaminerRobert G. SheridanAttorney-Parmelee, Utzler Welsh In a canning method where cans arefilled with a product and a lid sealed thereto in an enclosure in whichthe pressure inside the enclosure is different from pressure outside, amechanism is provided for feeding can lids one at a time from a magazineoutside the enclosure to the magazine of a can lid-applying machineinside the enclosure wherein an endless chain removes the lids from thebottom of a magazine outside the holder, carries them around a loopedguide, one after another, and drops them alternately into one of twopockets in an oscillating pressure lock, one of which pockets is openonly at the top to receive a can lid when the other has moved to aposition where it is open only at the bottom to discharge a lid into agravity chute that passes through the enclosure wall to the magazine ofthe can lid-applying machine inside the enclosure. The trap thenoscillates to open the now-empty pocket at the top to receive a lid andclose the other pocket at the top and open it at the bottom to dischargethe lid which it received. The lid-feeding mechanism is driven from thecan lid-applying machine inside the enclosure through a shaft thatpasses to the outside, with a clutch outside that feeds the lids only asrequired by the machine, and the oscillating pressure lock issynchronized with the operation of the endless chain.

13 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures P'ATENTEBJUL "4 m2 3.674.160

' sum 2 or 2 INVENTOR CHESTER L. GUTOWSK/ Iris Attorneys APPARATUS FORTRANSFERRING CAN LIDS THROUGH A PARTITION SUBJECT TO A PRESSUREDIFFERENTIAL This invention relates to the art of aseptically canning aproduct in an enclosure where there is a pressure difference between thecan-filling and closing apparatus and the atmosphere, and is for a meansfor supplying lids to the container-closing apparatus from the exteriorto the interior of the enclosure. I

In the application which I have filed jointly with Richard A. Smith,Ser. No. 33,204, filed Apr. 30, 1970 and assigned to my presentassignee, there is disclosed a method of and apparatus for passingcontainers one at a time from the atmosphere through a rotating pressurelock into a filling line where the containers are filled with a hotsterile product in an atmosphere of air under pressure, typically about32 lbs. per square inch. The filled cans are then delivered to a sealerin the enclosure which applies lids to the containers, and then thecontainers are delivered to a steam chamber, also under pressure,through which they roll for a length of time to insure sterilization ofthe containers and the product with which they are filled, after whichthe cans pass through another revolving pressure lock to the atmosphere.

The machine for applying the lids to the containers is a conventionalturret type machine with a magazine to hold a stack of lids, and thelids are removed one at a time from the bottom of this magazine andapplied to successive cans as the operation proceeds. There is aproblem, however, in keeping the lidapplying and sealing machinesupplied with lids for sustained periods of operation. To have anoperator in the enclosure to replenish the lids in the magazine as theyare required would necessitate lower pressures to be used in theenclosure and elaborate compression and decompression chambers would beneeded and there would be an ever present possibility of injury to anoperator. Neither is it practical to stop the operation when a newsupply of lids is required, then decompress the enclosure and then enterit to place a new supply of lids in the magazine of the lid-applying andclosing machine, thereafter sealing the enclosure and restoring thepressure.

The present invention provides in combination with such an apparatus, orin any apparatus where lids are required to be transferred from onepressure environment to another, a simple apparatus for effecting suchtransfer in accordance with the requirements of the lid-applying andsealing machine. Since the invention is especially applicable to theapplication of metal lids to metal containers, such as so-called tincans, it will be hereinafter described for such purpose without,however, excluding the supplying of lids to other containers whereverapplicable.

In general, the apparatus comprises a magazine for holding a stack oflids that is located in the ambient atmosphere close to the enclosurewhich contains the lid-applying and sealing machine. Normally theenclosure will be one in which there is an atmosphere of air underpressure, but it could be another gas or vapor, or even have asub-atmospheric pressure therein. A conveyor chain moving under thisexternal magazine removes the lids, one at a time from the bottom of themagazine and moves them in spaced succession around a looped guide trackto a higher elevation. From the end of the looped track the lids aredelivered to a pressure lock or trap which drops them in turn into achute that passes through the enclosure wall. The lids slide from thischute into a magazine forming part of a conventional turret type canlid-applying and sealing machine within the enclosure. This pressurelock comprises a unit that resembles generally a familiar type of plugvalve, having a casing in the top of which is an elongated slot intowhich the can lids drop. There is a core or body of generally circularsection within the casing having two parallel lid-receiving pocketspassing therethrough, one being at each side of a plane which is on thediameter of the circular section. The casing has a second or lower slot180 removed from the first, the arrangement being such that when thecircular body is oscillated through an arc of a few degrees, one pocketwill register with the first slot in the top of the casing and thebottom of the other pocket will register with the second slot, so that acan lid may drop into one pocket as one falls out of the other, thusalternately transferring the lids through one pocket and then the otherwhile preventing the free flow of air or gas through the transferdevice.

The chain and transfer device are geared together to operate insynchronism, and both are preferably driven from the lid-applying andsealing machine inside the enclosure. This drive preferably includes amagnetic clutch controlled by proximity switches on the magazine of thelid-applying and sealing machine in such manner that there will be astack of lids in the magazine of said machine at all times, but thefeeding of lids will stop when a predetermined number of lids hasaccumulated in said magazine.

In the drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is an assembly view showing a fragment of the enclosure insection with a portion of the can lid-applying machine beingschematically indicated, and with the can lid-feeding and transfermechanism being shown partly in side elevation and partly in verticalsection, part of the pressure lock oscillating mechanism being omitted;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation on a larger scale than FIG. 1showing the pressure lock lid feeder with its oscillating mechanism;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the mechanism shown in FIG. 2 at right anglesto FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section through the pressurelock transfer mechanism in substantially the plane of line IV-IV of FIG.3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section in the plane of line VV ofFIG. 1, but on a larger scale;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a section of the endlesschain; and

FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic wiring diagram. Referring first to FIG.1, 2 designates the wall of a generally cylindrical pressure chambersuch as that disclosed in my said joint application with Richard A.Smith. In this chamber there is a conventional turret type canlid-applying and sealing machine, a fragment of which is schematicallyindicated at 3. It has a fixed can lid-holding magazine 4 of usualconstruction under which the cans on the turret move with a lid beingdropped from the magazine onto each can in turn, this arrangement beingwell known in the art and forming no part per se of the presentinvention. As previously indicated, the interior of the enclosure 2 isat a pressure other than atmospheric pressure. In said joint applicationit is typically filled with air at about 32 p.s.i.

On the outside of the pressure vessel or enclosure 2 there are two fixedbrackets, 5 and 6, which support the external can lid-supplyingmechanism. This mechanism comprises an endless sprocket chain 7 withlugs 8 projecting therefrom at spaced intervals (see FIG. 6). Startingwith the upper righthand guide sprocket 9 in FIG. 1, this chain has adescending vertical reach 10 that passes around a lower sprocket II,which guides it laterally under a lid-feeding magazine 12. From the leftside of the bottom of the magazine the chain is guided by a track strip13, shown in section in FIG. 5, around a somewhat circular bottom loop14, then up a vertical reach 15 around an upper substantiallysemi-circular loop 16 to the terminal 17 of the track 13. At thisterminal the chain passes around sprocket wheel 18 back to sprocketwheel 9. The track strip 13 therefore defines an incomplete elipse thatis open along one side. It begins with a lower end extending laterallyfrom the magazine 12.

There are two parallel edge guides 20, one at one side of the trackstrip, and one at the other, that are spaced a uniform distance out fromthe track strip and the chain at a distance where the lugs 8 extendmidway into the space between the edge guides 20. As best seen in FIG.5, the edge guides each have a groove at 21 in their confronting edges,the arrangement being such that the can lids L will span the distancebetween these edge guides with only diametrically opposite marginsreceived in the grooves 21. With this construction the lid-feedingmagazine 12 will normally drop a can lid from the magazine to a levelwhere a lug 8 on the chain will push the lid ahead of it, entering themargins of the lid in the channels or grooves of the edge guides andpush the lid ahead of it to the discharge end portion of the edgeguides, as hereinafter more fully described.

The edge guide strips 20 extend vertically a slight distance down belowthe end 17 of the track 13 and only slightly below the level of thechain sprocket 18. As best seen in FIG. 4, the discharge ends of theedge guide are secured by an angle member 22 to the top of a cylindricalcasing 23 of the pressure lock which is carried by the upper bracket onthe exterior of the enclosure.

There is an upper slot 24 in the top of the casing 23 and the ends ofthe edge guides are so positioned that a can lid sliding down the edgeguides will enter this slot. There is a core or body 26 having a workingfit inside this casing, the casing having an interior wall that isgenerally of a truncated cone shape,

and the core is tapered from a larger end disk 26a to a smaller end disk26b, the intervening part of the body or core being comprisedprincipally of three spaced parallel walls, the middle one 27 being inthe plane of a diameter of the circular body and the other two, 28 and29, being at opposite sides of 27, these three plates forming twolongitudinally extending parallel slots or pockets 30 and 31 that passentirely through the core, one at each side of the diameter. In thebottom of the cylindrical casing there is a slot 32. The arrangement issuch that when pocket 30 registers with slot 24 in the top of the easingso that it may receive a can lid moving down from the edge guides whileit is closed at the bottom. At the same time pocket 31 will registerwith the bottom slot 32 in the casing so that a lid that has previouslybeen deposited in it can drop through this bottom slot, but pocket 31will then be closed at the top. By oscillating the core 26 through a fewdegrees of 35 are, this condition will be reversed, and pocket 31 willregister with the top casing slot 24 and pocket 30 will register withlower casing slot 32.

There is a chute 35 sealed to the bottom of the casing below the slot 32so that can lids falling out this slot slide down the chute which passesthrough the wall 2 of the enclosure. Inside the enclosure there is anenlarged portion where a gate 36,.

which normally forms the bottom of the chute may be operated from theexterior of the enclosure to close the chute if, for any reason, the lidtransfer lock comprising the casing and body 26 must be removed whilethere is pressure in the enclosure. Beyond the gate 36 the chute has asection 39 that terminates at the lid-receiving and holding magazine 4of the can lid-applying and sealing machine 3.

The general arrangement therefore provides for the sprocket chain takingthe lids one at a time from the exterior lid-holding magazine 12, movingthem around the guide and dropping them through the slot 24 in the topof the cylindrical casing and the body or core 26, which constitutes apressure lock is oscillated to alternately receive a lid in one of thepockets 31 or 32 and then the other. This requires propersynchronization between the operation of the exterior canfeedingmagazine, the chain, and the oscillation of the pressure lock or core26. Moreover, there may be times when one or more cans do not feed fromthe interior magazine 4 into the machine 3 so that too many lids couldaccumulate in the magazine 4. On the other hand it is desirable thatthere be lids in the magazine to continue operation should there be atemporary interruption of the lid feeding. In order to corelate thefeeding of the lids within limits to the requirement of the capapplyingand sealing machine, the feeding of the lids is operated by or inconjunction with the lid-applying and sealing machine. This isschematically indicated in FIG. 1 where a shaft 40 is gear-driven fromthe lid-applying and sealing machine. This shaft passes through a glandor packing 41 and a bevel gear 42 on its outer end meshes with a pinion43 on a vertical shaft 44, which is the drive shaft for a magneticallyoperated clutch 45 of any known or preferred construction. This clutchselectively drives vertical shaft 46.

As shown in FIG. 3, shaft 46 has a bevel gear 47 at its upper end andthis gear meshes with and drives a bevel gear 48 fixed on a horizontalshaft 49 on which the sprocket wheel 18 is fixed to drive the endlesssprocket chain 7. The shaft 49 also has a cam disk 50 (see FIG. 2) fixedthereon for rotation with the shaft 49. There is a plate 51 with a hubthat is not keyed to shaft 49 mounted on the end of shaft 49, and thereis a block 510 bolted to the rear face of this plate. There are parallelbars 52 slidably fitted against the sides of this block, one at eachside of the shaft. There is an end-piece 53 welded to the upper end ofthese bars on which is a cam follower comprising a roller 54 that bearson the periphery of the cam disk 50. At the lower end of these bars is asimilar end-piece 55 with a similar roller cam-follower 56 thereon thatalso bears on the periphery of the cam disk 50. This end-piece also hasa rigid arm 57 thereon. This arm has a pin 58 thereon which is receivedina slot in a crank-arm 59 that is fixed on a shaft 60 that extendshorizontally from one end of the pressure lock core or body 26 through apacked bearing 61 at one end of casing 23. When the lower cam followerrides onto the high side of cam 50, the upper cam follower rides to thelow side, moving the arm 57 down to oscillate the core 26 a few degreesin one direction, and of course when the high side of the cam 50 ridesunder the upper cam follower to raise the arm 57, it oscillates the core26 in the opposite direction. Each rotation of the cam therefore willallow two can lids to pass through it. Consequently the chain mustremove two can lids from the outside magazine 12 and bring two lids tothe terminal of the lid guide arrangement for each rotation of cam 50.

To accomplish this the gear ratio is such that 2 revolutions of shaft 46turns the cam on shaft 49, I revolution. There is a sprocket chain drive65 from shaft 46 to a parallel vertical shaft 66 and a second sprocketchain drive 67 at the lower end of shaft 66 drives the lid feedermechanism at the bottom of the magazine 12. The sprocket chain gearingis such that one lig is delivered from magazine 12 for each revolutionof shaft 4 Throughout most of the travel of the lids around the trackcomprising the chain guide and edge guides, the can lids are beingpushed by lugs 8 on the chain 7. However in the down side of the toploop, as the can approaches the lid transfer pressure lock, they tend,or some of them tend, to move by gravity ahead of the lugs which arepushing them and disturb the timing of the lid feed to the upper slot 24in the casing 23. To prevent this there is a friction means, best seenin FIG. 5, for restraining the lids against free fall. This means ashere shown comprises two spaced frames 70 secured around the track sothat there is a span 71 of each frame extending over the track. A post72 is provided on each of the spans 71, the post passing through thespan and having a spreader bar 73 at its inner end. The spreader bar ofthe two posts carry two parallel bars 74 that are yieldably pressedagainst the can lids traveling under them by springs 75 positionedaround the respective posts 72 with sufficient friction to prevent thelids from moving by gravity ahead of the lugs 8 which are pushing them.Only after a lid has been moved down beyond the lower ends of thefriction strips or bars 74, a distance of less than one lid diameter,and are being entered into the pressure lock may they drop freely, andat this level the sprocket chain is diverging from the lid guides wherethey can no longer engage the lids. In other words, the guide, sprocketchain and pressure lock are co-related to assure a positive feed of thelids until the last bit of travel of the lids.

To equalize fluid pressure around the oscillating pressure lock corethere is a pipe that leads from the interior of the enclosure 2 to oneend of the pressure lock casing 23. A regulator in this pipe isindicated at 81, and it may also function as a cut-off valve. Withpressure fluid in the air lock casing there is an effective balancepressure around the core offsetting the pressure in the pockets of thecore that might otherwise prevent the core from turning freely andeasily.

Finally, there is an upper proximity switch on the lidholding magazine 4on the lid-applying and container-sealing machine 3 and there is asecond proximity switch 86 on the same magazine. Switch 86 energizes themagnetically operated clutch 45 when the level of lids in the magazine 4drops below the level of this switch to drive the external lidfeedingmechanism, and the upper proximity switch 85 effects the release of theclutch to stop the feeding of lids to the magazine when the level oflids in the magazine exceeds a height determined by the said upperswitch. Normally the lids will be supplied to the magazine 4 at the samerate at which they are used and the level will stay between the twoproximity switches.

When proximity switch 85 closes because of the high level of lids in themagazine 4, it closes a circuit to effect the release or disengagementof magnetically operated clutch 45 and when the level of lids in themagazine 4 drops below proximity switch 86 in a circuit is closed toeffect engagement of the clutch with shaft 46 to drive it and resume thefeeding of lids from outside the enclosure to the magazine 4. It will benoted that the cam disk 50 has high and low portions, each of whichextends through a few degrees less than 180 of arc. Between these twosemi-circular areas there are slopes on which the cam followers roll inmoving from the high area to the low area and vice-versa. It isconceivable that upper limit switch 85 might release the clutch 45 justas the cam followers were on these inclines and the core of the air lockwould then be in an intermediate position where there would be free flowof air between the interior and exterior of the enclosure. To avoid thisthere is a cam 90 on the vertical shaft 46 that operates a switch 91 oneach rotation of the shaft, and this switch overrides the proximityswitch 85 to keep the feeder operating just long enough to complete thetravel of the core to one limit or the other of its oscillatory motion.Since shaft 46 rotates twice to each revolution of the cam 50, the camand switch are so located that switch 91 will over-ride the proximityswitch at just the time when the cam followers are on the slopedportions of cam 50. The circuitry is conventional and may be arranged inany one of several ways, and in FIG. 7 is merely a rough diagram toillustrate the general arrangement and relays or other equipment thatwould customarily be used are not shown. Signal current from line 92 isconnected to proximity switches 85 and 86. Switch 85 is normally openand closes only when the level of lids in the magazine reaches the toplimit. When switch 86 closes, it will energize coil 93 of a magneticswitch or relay to move the switch armature to a position where currentwill flow from line 94 through clutch out line 95 to disengage theclutch. When the lids from the magazine drop to a level where proximityswitch 86 is closed, it will pass signal current through coil 93a tomove the switch armature back to the full-line position to energize theclutch in" line 96 and resume lid-feeding to magazine 4. There is ashunt circuit 97 that includes cam-operated switch 91 on shaft 46 soarranged that even if switch 86 opens, current will flow through theswitch 91 and shunt circuit 97 to keep the clutch in until the cam 90has rotated to a position where switch 91 is also open.

The invention provides a relatively simple and inexpensive mechanism forsupplying lids to filled containers where the lids are applied and thecontainers sealed in an enclosure where the internal pressure is aboveor below atmospheric pressure. Where there is a pressure in theenclosure 2 above atmospheric pressure, a small amount of the air orother gas under pressure will enter each pocket in the oscillating airlock each time one of the pockets is moved to a position to drop a lidthrough the bottom slot in the casing 23, but since the top of thepocket at that time will be closed, there is no blow-through of thehigher pressure gases in the enclosure to the atmosphere outside theenclosure. The large space within the enclosure relative to the smallamount of air which is vented from one pocket and then the other is notof practical consequence and the simplicity of the pressure lock overmore complicated devices compensates for the small loss of pressure gasresulting from its operation.

The semi-elliptical arrangement for the endless conveyor chain and lidguides enables the external magazine 12 to be convenient to the floorlevel on which the container feeding, filling, lid-sealing and dischargeof sterilized filled containers is taking place so that replenishingthis magazine with stacks of lids can be readily taken care of by theoperator at a convenient level, while the lids are individually elevatedto a height required for gravity discharge into and through the pressurelock and down the chute 35-39 into the lid-applying and seal machinemagazine 4.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus wherein there is a mechanism within a pressure-sealedenclosure for applying and sealing lids to containers, the invention fortransferring lids from the atmosphere to the machine in the enclosurecomprising:

a. a pressure lock outside the enclosure having a casing and a corerotatably fitted in the casing, the core having two pockets therein, oneat each side of a central longitudinal plane, the casing having twolongitudinally extending slots therethrough apart, one at the top andone at the bottom with one at one side of a vertical longitudinal planeand one at the other, the arrangement being such that when either pocketin the core registers with the upper slot in the casing it is out ofregister with the lower slot in the casing and when either registerswith the lower slot the casing is out of register with the upper slot inthe casing, the pockets being so spaced that when one pocket in the bodyregisters with one slot in the casing, the other pocket registers withthe other slot,

b. means for turning said core about its axis in the casing toalternately bring each pocket in the body into register with one slot inthe casing and then the other,

c. means for delivering a container lid to the upper slot in the casingin timed relation to the turning of the core body each time one of saidpockets in the core registers with the top slot in the casing, and

d. means enclosed against the ambient atmosphere sealed to the casingand passing through the enclosure wall for receiving each lid as itdrops from a pocket in said core through the lower slot in the casingand arranged to deliver the lid so received to the lid-applying andsealing mechanism in the enclosure.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the pockets in said coreextend through the core in such manner that a lid entering the pocketthrough the upper slot in the casing may drop out the slot in the lowerside of the casing when the said pocket registers with the lower slot inthe casing.

3. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the said coreturning meanseffects an oscillatory movement of said core through an are sufficientto bring one pocket and then the other into register first with the slotin the top of the casing and then with the slot in the bottom of thecasing.

4. The invention defined in claim 3 wherein said means for oscillatingthe core comprises a cam having a high side and a low side and a camfollower operatively connected with said core for transmitting motionfrom the follower to the core, and there is a means for rotating the camin timed relation to the means for delivering container lids to the slotin the upper part of the casing.

5. The invention defined in claim 1 in which said means for deliveringcontainer lids comprises a lid guide terminating adjacent the slot inthe top of the casing and an endless sprocket chain for moving lids insuccession along said guide and which is driven synchronously with saidbody-turning means.

6. The invention defined in claim 5 wherein said lid guide has a portionwhich extends from an elevated position downwardly to the casing, andmeans along said downwardly extending portion of the guide arranged tofrictionally retard the free movement of the lids in advance of theendless sprocket chain until the lid is engaged in the slot in the topof the casing.

7. The invention defined in claim 5 wherein there is a lidholding andfeeding magazine outside the enclosure arranged to deliver lids one at atime to said lid guide and lid-moving sprocket chain, said sprocketchain and lid-holding and feeding magazine and the said core turningmechanism all being geared to a common drive whereby they operate inisochronism.

8. The invention defined in claim 7 in which the mechanism in theenclosure for applying and sealing lids to the containers is providedwith a lid-receiving and holding magazine and the said means which issealed to the said casing for transferring lids from the lower slot inthe casing comprises a gravity chute through which the lids are guidedinto said magazine.

9. The invention defined in claim 8 in which the common drive for thesprocket chain, the lid-holding and feeding magazine and the coreturning means is operated by said mechanism for applying and sealinglids to containers.

10. The invention defined in claim 8 in which the common drive iscontrolled by the variation in level of the lids in the magazine of saidmechanism for applying and sealing lids to the containers.

11. The invention defined in claim 10 wherein there is a cam-operatedswitch driven by said common drive arranged to prevent the stopping ofthe common drive when said coretuming means is intermediate either limitof travel of the core.

12. The invention defined in claim 8 wherein said common drive comprisesa clutch, and switch means on the magazine of the mechanism for applyingand sealing lids to the containers arranged to render said clutchoperative to transmit power when the accumulation of lids in themagazine of the said mechanism drops below a predetermined level and torelease said clutch when the level rises to a predetermined point.

13. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the pressure lock iselevated above the container lid-applying and sealing mechanism and themeans for receiving the lids and delivering them to said mechanism is agravity chute and wherein said means for delivering container lids tothe slot in the top of said casing comprises a lid-holding and feedingmagazine located at a level below said pressure lock, there being a lidguide leading from the bottom of said magazine first laterally and thendownwardly around a semi-circle and then upwardly to a .secondsemi-circle reversed with respect to the first with a generally verticalterminal portion ending at the pressure lock and an endless sprocketchain cooperatively positioned to move lids in spaced succession fromsaid magazine, along the lid guide and a common drive for the pressurelock, the sprocket chain and the lid-holding and feeding magazine.

1. In an apparatus wherein there is a mechanism within a pressure-sealedenclosure for applying and sealing lids to containers, the invention fortransferring lids from the atmosphere to the machine in the enclosurecomprising: a. a pressure lock outside the enclosure having a casing anda core rotatably fitted in the casing, the core having two pocketstherein, one at each side of a central longitudinal plane, the casinghaving two longitudinally extending slots therethrough 180* apart, oneat the top and one at the bottom with one at one side of a verticallongitudinal plane and one at the other, the arrangement being such thatwhen either pocket in the core registers with the upper slot in thecasing it is out of register with the lower slot in the casing and wheneither registers with the lower slot the casing is out of register withthe upper slot in the casing, the pockets being so spaced that when onepocket in the body registers with one slot in the casing, the otherpocket registers with the other slot, b. means for turning said coreabout its axis in the casing to alternately bring each pocket in thebody into register with one slot in the casing and then the other, c.means for delivering a container lid to the upper slot in the casing intimed relation to the turning of the core body each time one of saidpockets in the core registers with the top slot in the casing, and d.means enclosed against the ambient atmosphere sealed to the casing andpassing through the enclosure wall for receiving each lid as it dropsfrom a pocket in said core through the lower slot in the casing andarranged to deliver the lid so received to the lid-applying and sealingmechanism in the enclosure.
 2. The invention defined in claim 1 whereinthe pockets in said core extend through the core in such manner that alid entering the pocket through the upper slot in the casing may dropout the slot in the lower side of the casing when the said pocketregisters with the lower slot in the casing.
 3. The invention defined inclaim 2 wherein the said core-turning means effects an oscillatorymovement of said core through an arc sufficient to bring one pocket andthen the other into register first with the slot in the top of thecasing and then with the slot in the bottom of the casing.
 4. Theinvention defined in claim 3 wherein said means for oscillating the corecomprises a cam having a high side and a low side and a cam followeroperatively connected with said core for transmitting motion from thefollower to the core, and there is a means for rotating the cam in timedrelation to the means for delivering container lids to the slot in theupper part of the casing.
 5. The invention defined in claim 1 in whichsaid means for delivering container lids comprises a lid guideterminating adjacent the slot in the top of the casing and an endlesssprocket chain for moving lids in succession along said guide and whichis driven synchronously with said body-turning means.
 6. The inventiondefined in claim 5 wherein said lid guide has a portion which extendsfrom an elevated position downwardly to the casing, and means along saiddownwardly extending portion of the guide arranged to frictionallyretard the free movement of the lids in advance of the endless sprocketchain until the lid is engaged in the slot in the top of the casing. 7.The invention defined in claim 5 wherein there is a lid-holding andfeeding magazine outside the enclosure arranged to deliver lids one at atime to said lid guide and lid-moving sprocket chain, said sprocketchain and lid-holding and feeding magazine and the said core turningmechanism all being geared to a common drive whereby they operate inisochronism.
 8. The invention defined in claim 7 in which the mechanismin the enclosure for applying and sealing lids to the containers isprovided with a lid-receiving and holding magazine and the said meanswhich is sealed to the said casing for transferring lids from the lowerslot in the casing comprises a gravity chute through which the lids areguided into said magazine.
 9. The invention defined in claim 8 in whichthe common drive for the sprocket chain, the lid-holding and feedingmagazine and the core turning means is operated by said mechanism forapplying and sealing lids to containers.
 10. The invention defined inclaim 8 in which the common drive is controlled by the variation inlevel of the lids in the magazine of said mechanism for applying andsealing lids to the containers.
 11. The invention defined in claim 10wherein there is a cam-operated switch driven by said common drivearranged to prevent the stopping of the common drive when saidcore-turning means is intermediate either limit of travel of the core.12. The invention defined in claim 8 wherein said common drive comprisesa clutch, and switch means on the magazine of the mechanism for applyingand sealing lids to the containers arranged to render said clutchoperative to transmit power when the accumulation of lids in themagazine of the said mechanism drops below a predetermined level and torelease said clutch when the level rises to a predetermined point. 13.The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the pressure lock is elevatedabove the container lid-applying and sealing mechanism and the means forreceiving the lids and delivering them to said mechanism is a gravitychute and wherein said means for delivering container lids to the slotin the top of said casing comprises a lid-holding and feeding magazinelocated at a level below said pressure lock, there being a lid guideleading from the bottom of said magazine first laterally and thendownwardly around a semi-circle and then upwardly to a secondsemi-circle reversed with respect to the first with a generally verticalterminal portion ending at the pressure lock and an endless sprocketchain cooperatively positioned to move lids in spaced succession fromsaid magazine, along the lid guide and a common drive for the pressurelock, the sprocket chain and the lid-holding and feeding magazine.